Milk producers joined milk processors yesterday in supporting the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed regulations on the safe shipment of food, saying the draft rules largely write into regulations what the dairy industry is already doing. “Dairy foods are safely transported already, and there is no need to improve on current practices,” said Beth Briczinski, vice president for dairy foods … Read More
Florida Grad Student Receives NMPF Dairy Research Award
Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro, a doctoral student in animal sciences at the University of Florida, received the National Milk Producers Federation Richard M. Hoyt Award for dairy-related research. Ribeiro was recognized during the awards ceremony at the annual meeting of the American Dairy Science Association in Kansas City. NMPF Vice President for Dairy Foods and Nutrition Beth Briczinski made the … Read More
Farmer, Mother & Blogger Talks Biotech at House Hearing
Farmers need to do a better job at connecting with the public when talking about the benefits that biotechnology brings to producers, consumers and the environment, said Joanna Lidback, a dairy farmer from northeast Vermont. Lidback, who also keeps a blog documenting her family’s life on the farm, testified during a hearing of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, … Read More
Guidance Hindering Water Conservation on Farms
The National Milk Producers Federation asked the EPA to withdraw recent guidance concerning when farmers must seek Clean Water Act permits for a long list of normal farming activities near wetlands. NMPF, said the EPA’s proposal could have the perverse effect of discouraging water conservation, by changing the long-standing relationship between farmers and the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. … Read More
Food Safety Modernization Act Regulation
Efforts to impose added regulations on dairy farms under the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) are not warranted because milk leaving farms for further processing is not a significant public health risk from intentional adulteration, the National Milk Producers Federation wrote in comments to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is reviewing comments about the FSMA law, which … Read More
NMPF Praises EPA Decision on U.S. Waterways Regulation
The National Milk Producers Federation today praised the Environmental Protection Agency for agreeing to allow more time to examine a controversial draft regulation expanding the waterways subject to pollution controls under the federal Clean Water Act. “Dairy farmers are committed to protecting U.S. waters both voluntarily and under the Clean Water Act,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern, “but … Read More
TPP Must Deliver Meaningful Access for All Dairy Products
The majority of U.S. dairy farmer cooperatives and dairy processing companies, all of which are members of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) or the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), threatened to withdraw support from the pending Trans-Pacific trade agreement if Japan and Canada refuse to follow through on pledges to provide comprehensive market access for U.S. dairy products. NMPF … Read More
House Members Urge Removal of EU Trade Barriers
A bipartisan group of 177 members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged the Obama administration to use the transatlantic trade talks with the European Union (EU) to address a variety of export barriers hampering the U.S. dairy industry. Among the barriers are the EU’s recent efforts to prevent U.S. companies from using common food names like parmesan and feta … Read More
NMPF Smacks Sugar Focus of FDA Food Labeling
The National Milk Producers Federation has soured on efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to devote attention to regulating the names of certain types of sugar, while at the same time the agency is ignoring the misuse of dairy-specific names in foods with no milk content. In a letter sent today as part of an FDA request for comments, … Read More
Joint ABI/ADPI Annual Meeting to be held in Chicago
The 2014 Annual Conference of the American Butter Institute & the American Dairy Products Institute will be held April 27-April 29, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The 2014 Conference promises to be truly educational and informative, and will feature two days of speakers and programs on various industry topics. As in the past few years, record attendance is expected. … Read More